We had a really good Christmas trip to Las Vegas, arriving the Thursday before Christmas and leaving three days later on Christmas Day.

One of the highlights of the trip was meeting Chef Scott Conant, a celebrity chef that’s hard to miss if you watch the Food Network Channel at all. We

Chef Scott Conant

had stopped in to confirm our dinner reservations at his restaurant, Scarpetta in the Cosmopolitan resort, and he was standing by the front desk. He was very gracious, but it was a shock to turn around and see someone you recognize from television.

We stayed at the Vdara Hotel, which was wonderful. The accommodations were great and the spa where we indulged in a massage was very nice.

There were a couple of downsides. My knees gave me a lot of trouble. The steroid injection I had before we left doesn’t seem to have helped and I’m going to schedule the MRI to see if there is anything but RA going on. Of course, I did a lot of walking — probably 2-3 miles a day, so that didn’t help things.

We got a nice surprise on the trip back. Both my husband and I are signed up for TSA’s Global Entry Program (GOES) and completed the enrollment for the trusted traveler “fast lane” entry through American Airlines. It lets you bypass some of the yucky parts of travel — like taking off your shoes and taking your 3-oz bag and your computer out of your suitcase. We weren’t aware that they had implemented the special lanes at Las Vegas, so it was a treat. Of course, I still had to be scanned since my hip and shoulder replacements trip the metal detector, but it was nice to skip some of the other tediousness of air travel.

I guess the really bad news is that on Christmas day we got word that my step-mother was admitted to the hospital. She has not been in great health for the last few years and she’s been in the hospital multiple times in the past few months. She’s over 80 and even small things can become quickly serious. I remain optimistic that she’ll recover in good time, but it is still a serious situation.

Now it’s back to reality and work, although the office is down to a skeleton crew this week between the holidays. I’m treating myself by coming in a bit later in the morning and only working 8 hours a day.

I hope your holiday celebrations were joyful and that those you love were blessed with good health. Thanks for checking in.

Let’s see. First the bad news. (1) We were running really late for our plane going out, got halfway to the airport and my husband realized that he’d left his cell phone at home. Had to turn around and go back. (2) There was a problem with our room that we dealt with most of the afternoon and the hotel finally moved us. (3) We got stuck in an elevator for about 20 minutes. (4) I have blisters on top of my feet from wearing my new spangly Skechers flip-flops; (5) There was a mechanical issue with our plane on the return trip and we spent an extra three (uncomfortable) hours in the airport; (6) One the drive home from the airport, my bottle of water leaked in my tote drenching my laptop, my Kindle, my cell phone, and my leather wallet.

Like I said, we had a great time.

The upgrade gods worked their magic and we got our first-class upgrades on both flights.

The hotel was wonderful — we stayed at the new Cosmopolitan resort which is just beautiful. They’ve got inventive, amazing art sprinkled throughout the hotel which only complements and enhances the amazing interiors. The problem we had with our room was an issue with the safe that they couldn’t get solved so they moved us from our gorgeous “standard” room to an incredible suite that overlooked the Bellagio lake/water show. It had two full baths, a full kitchen with refrigerator, oven, stove, and a washer-dryer. I’ve lived in apartments smaller than that room. The staff at the hotel is the most polite, courteous, and helpful I’ve experienced in a long time, anywhere.

The spa was nice. We switched our massage appointments from Friday afternoon to Thursday afternoon and when we did, the person booked a couples massage instead of two singles. But we managed to straighten it out without t0o much of a problem. The spa was beautifully appointed with sandstone walls and a water feature. If I were picking nits, their lounge area was small and the only refreshments they offered were water and hot herbal tea. Usually in the nicer Las Vegas spas, they offer bottled water, juices, fruits, etc. Also the treatment rooms were upstairs from the wet areas, and climbing a flight of stairs is not (in my opinion) a great way to start a relaxing massage.

The food was incredible. I’m not much of one for buffets, but we decided to eat at the Cosmopolitan’s version — The Wicked Spoon — for brunch on Thursday. It was so great we went back again on Saturday. We also ate at two of José Andrés restaurants — Jaleo and China Poblano. Jaleo is a tapas restaurant and we had quite an array of tasty dishes, the only disappointment was the paella. What we were served was the equivalent of rice and lobster that no self-respecting Spaniard worth his saffron would call a paella. The real high point, though, was Scott Conant’s Scarpetta. I’ve seen Chef Conant on a number of Food Network shows and the word that comes to mind when I think of him is arrogant — even for a celebrity chef. However, his food spoke wonders. Amazing heirloom tomato salads, incredible pasta dish, and I had Branzini (Italian sea bass) and my husband had proscuitto-wrapped pork loin. The service, with the exception of the maitre d’, was professional, helpful, courteous, and attentive. The maitre d’ took arrogance lessons from Chef Conant.

We didn’t do a whole lot except explore the new hotel and get some daily walking in for our “wellness program.” I’m sorry to report that knees, hips, and ankles weren’t the most cooperative so our walking was sprinkled with frequent rest stops, which is not bad, but something that I need to correct.

Probably the most entertaining was getting stuck in an elevator. We met some very nice people from Michigan and California along with some very nervous security guys. The elevator was outdoors and only three stories high — from the sidewalk outside one side of City Center to the pedestrian walkway leading to the Mandarin Oriental. It had glass in the doors so we could see outside and we were only stuck half a floor up, so even if the elevator fell, it wouldn’t have been more than a few bumps and bruises. The weather was (thankfully) unusually cool, so it wasn’t even that warm in the elevator. The security guys got really nervous when I jokingly told them that one of the passengers was a lawyer. (Yes, I really did.) What was really fun was before the security guys showed up, several people pushed the elevator button and were startled that we were stuck. At any rate, we eventually convinced the security guys to see if they could pry the doors open for some ventilation and when they did, that reset whatever was stuck and up we went.

So now it’s back home and back to work. Busy week ahead with looming deadlines and long hours, but a great vacation to start it off.

I hope whatever adventures you’ve had in your life lately were happy ones.

Back from the Christmas trip and I can’t think of one that went more smoothly or that we enjoyed more. Everything went like clockwork: airport lines were short, got the first-class upgrades on the flights, terrific hotel room, wonderful meals — couldn’t ask for anything better.

I guess if there was any fly in the ointment, it’s that I still have these stitches in left over from surgery. That meant that I couldn’t indulge in a massage or even the spa area since I have to keep the area dry until tomorrow. But that’s a moot point compared to all the things that went right.

We did get the opportunity to explore the new Cosmopolitan casino/resort/hotel. Absolutely amazing. I think I’ve discovered my new favorite Las Vegas spot. It’s incredibly gorgeous. If you have a trip to Las Vegas coming up anytime, take my recommendation and check it out. Definitely where I’m staying next time.

We had our traditional Christmas lunch at Zefferino’s in the Venetian. They do a buffet that’s incredible. They do an amazing spread PLUS all the langostino/lobsters and shrimp you can eat. (Yum!)

Afterward, we were walking off our lunch wandering around the shops and for some reason, we got the idea that we were running late for the plane. You’d think we were a couple of doofuses that never traveled to a different time zone. Anyway, we wound up at the airport almost two hours early, laughing ourselves silly for not figuring it out. As luck would have it, there was a flight leaving for Dallas from the next gate with a couple of seats available, so we were able to get home a bit earlier, which was a good thing.

All things considered, a wonderful trip. I hope that your Christmas was as blessed and happy as mine.

Thanks for checking in.

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